The Three Minute Freeze: An Intern’s Take on Whole-Body Cryotherapy
By Rachel Weaver, University of Delaware, Class of 2018, Candidate for B.S. in Neuroscience
Being a competitive swimmer for fifteen years, I’ve had my fair share of injuries. I deal with aches and pain in my knees, hips, and shoulders. Without access to a pool, I have taken to running, which certainly hasn’t been easy on my knees. During my internship at First State Health & Wellness, I was given the opportunity to try a cryotherapy session.
The cryotherapy chamber looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. A time capsule supposedly taking me back to the days before a five-mile run resulted in agony. I traded my clothing for a pair of thermal socks, gloves, and some booties to protect my extremities from the -300° F I was about to subject myself to for three minutes. As the door to the chamber opened, a cloud of freezing nitrogen mist escaped chilling my exposed calves.
The Chamber of Nitrogen Gave Me Superpowers
I stepped up into the chamber and ducked my head as a lid was brought over top to lock me in place. As the seconds passed I swung my arms and kicked my legs in as much of a range of motion as the chamber would allow. My attempts to warm my body unfortunately did not prove to be fruitful as the temperature in the chamber approached its lowest point. Just as I was about to throw my arms up in defeat, the chamber operator spoke, “duck.” In one fell swoop I ducked my head, wrapped a robe around my shivering torso, and beelined for my pile of clothing. If nothing else, I surely was awake by this point.
Instantly after exiting the chamber, I felt energized. The slight tingling of my skin subsided quickly and the red color reverted back to its original. I had heard from the staff to pay particular attention to my sleep that night. When my alarm went off at 7:30 the next morning, I wasn’t clambering for the snooze button. The difference was I had not spent my night constantly shifting in and out of sleep. I hopped on the treadmill as I do every morning preparing to sweat myself into exhaustion. This time, I had to stop running because I ran out of time, and not because I was too drained to carry my body any further. Somehow, the chamber of nitrogen gave me superpowers. I’m looking forward to the next time I can trade in my achy knees and groggy mornings for a session in the cryotherapy chamber!
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About the Author
Rachel Weaver is a rising senior at the University of Delaware majoring in Neuroscience.
After graduation from university in the Spring of 2018, she plans on attending graduate school to obtain a master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. This summer, she spent seven weeks as an intern at First State Health & Wellness in Delaware.